The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Comments (0)

Transcript of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom.In a monarchy, a king or queen is Head of State. The British monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that, while The Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament.Although the British Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation.Members of the Royal Family support The Queen in her many State and national duties, as well as carrying out important work in the areas of public and charitable service, and helping to strengthen national unity and stability.Those who undertake official duties are members of The Queen's close family: her children and their spouses, and The Queen's cousins (the children of King George VI's brothers) and their spouses.Younger members of the Royal Family who are presently in education or military training - such as Prince William and Prince Harry - do not undertake official duties full-time, but often play a role in important national events and commemorations. England is in north-west Europe and is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is an island country and also part of the United Kingdom.England is the largest country in Great Britain and the UK. Nearly 84% of the population of the UK lives in England, mainly in the major cities and metropolitan areas.England has not had a separate political identity since 1707, when Great Britain was established as a political entity. There is no government or parliament just for England.The capital of England is London Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland constitutes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It had a population in 2011 of 3,064,000, and has a total area of 20,779 km2 . Wales has over 1,200 km of coastline, and is largely mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon , its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone, and has a changeable, maritime climate.The capital is Cardiff Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It is variously described as a country, province or region of the UK, amongst other terms.Northern Ireland shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. As of 2011, its population was 1,810,900. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland is largely self-governing. According to the agreement, Northern Ireland co-operates with the rest of Ireland – from which it was partitioned in 1921 – on some policy areas, while other areas are reserved for the Government of the United Kingdom, though the Republic of Ireland "may put forward views and proposals". The capital is Belfast.